Young American Jalen Green’s brilliant effort helped the Houston Rockets build a big lead early and secure a 135-119 win over the Washington Wizards on Thursday night. The Rockets got closer to catching the Golden State Warriors in the play-in tournament race following their dominant victory over the Wizards. With a comfortable win, the Rockets extended their winning streak to four while coming away victorious in six of their previous seven games.
Green scored a season-high 37 points, shooting 15 of 22 from the field and 5 of 9 from beyond the arc. The 22-year-old shooting guard scored 17 points during the first half. Green’s amazing play inspired the Rockets to take a 75-56 lead over the Wizards at halftime break. Green was not alone in his dominant performance against the Washington Wizards. Amen Thompson put on an excellent show against the Wizards, scoring 20 points, 10 rebounds, and two assists in the win. He scored 12 points in the first quarter, giving Houston a 33-31 advantage heading into the second session.
Green and Thompson were two of Houston’s six double-figure scorers. Fred VanVleet finished with 27 points and nine assists, while Jabari Smith Jr. had 16 points and five rebounds. Jock Landale had his second consecutive impactful performance in the absence of Alperen Sengun. The 28-year-old Australian came off the bench and played 25 minutes. Landale chipped in with 13 points and five rebounds in the win.
Jordan Poole led the Wizards with a team-high 25 points. Deni Avdija added 24 points while Kyle Kuzma had 23 for Washington. The Rockets led by as many as 24 points and had a 15-point lead entering the fourth quarter. A 6-0 run by the Wizards, including four baskets by Avdija, trimmed Houston’s lead to 112-101 early in the fourth quarter. However, the Rockets rallied and extended their lead to 121-105 midway through the quarter, thanks to two 3-pointers from Green.
Washington trailed by 13 mid-way in the fourth when Houston scored the next eight baskets, four of which came from rookie Amen Thompson, to make the score 133-112 with roughly two minutes remaining. The Rockets led by 22 with roughly four minutes remaining in the third quarter before Washington reduced the margin to 110-95 heading into the fourth. Poole made three three-pointers for the Wizards during that period. The Wizards have now dropped 18 of their previous 20 games.
Houston Rockets will host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, March 17. On the other hand, Washington Wizards will visit Chicago Bulls on the same day.
